As I work in a place where there are different religions, beliefs and upbringings, there are so many differences between people. I usually try to tell my colleagues about Islam so that they can really see what a beautiful and peaceful religion it is. I had a conversation with 3 of my Christian colleagues about Islam. The conversation went on for a long time (mashallah) and some one brought the word Jihad up. The main purpose I am writing this post is because of how my colleagues were so wrong about what they thought. I don't want any one to think that our religion is extreme because it's not. If you do want to judge Islam, judge it by the Quran because there is no book in this world that is more accurate then the Quran.

If you do say we're extreme then let me assure you that the only things that we are extreme about are, that we're extremely practised, extremely in love with our lord and his beloved prophet (pbuh), extremely in love with our pure religion, extremely peaceful and extremely in love with our beliefs...

Now, the literal meaning of Jihad is struggle or effort, and it means much more than holy war. Muslims use the word Jihad to describe three different kinds of struggles:

• A believer's internal struggle to live out the Muslim faith as well as possible
• The struggle to build a good Muslim society
• Holy war: the struggle to defend Islam, with force if necessary

Many modern writers claim that the main meaning of Jihad is the internal spiritual struggle, and this is accepted by many Muslims. However there are so many references to Jihad as a military struggle in Islamic writings that it is incorrect to claim that the interpretation of Jihad as holy war is wrong. The internal Jihad is the one that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is said to have called the greater Jihad. There are a number of reasons, but the Qur'an is clear that self-defense is always the underlying cause.

A war is not a Jihad if the intention is to:
• Force people to convert to Islam
• Conquer other nations to colonise them
• Take territory for economic gain
• Settle disputes
• Demonstrate a leader's power

A military Jihad has to obey very strict rules in order to be legitimate.
• The opponent must always have started the fighting.
• It must be launched by a religious leader.
• It must be fought to bring about good - something that Allah will approve of.
• Innocent people should not be killed.
• Women, children, or old people should not be killed or hurt.
• Women must not be raped.
• Enemies must be treated with justice.
• Wounded enemy soldiers must be treated in exactly the same way as one's own soldiers.
• The war must stop as soon as the enemy asks for peace.
• Property must not be damaged.
• Poisoning wells is forbidden. The modern analogy would be chemical or biological warfare.

To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged; - and verily, Allah is most powerful for their aid.
Qur'an 22:39

But if the enemy inclines towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah: for He is One that heareth and knoweth (all things).
Qur'an 8:61

The part 'the struggle to defend Islam, with force if necessary
' is not true. History teaches us something very different. Islam began in Medina and Mecca and offensive forces almost reached Vienna. It was not the people of Vienna who traveled to Mecca and attack Islam. They defended their town called Vienna.

Edited by Matt Browne - 22 July 2012 at 4:34am

A religion that's intolerant of other religions can't be the world's best religion --Abdel Samad
Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people--Eleanor Roosevelt

The offensive on the then 2 mighty empires ...persia and rome started when romans and persians started to amass armies at the borders of arabia with obvious intention to exterminate not a country but Islam and were defensive wars.......later wars which entered upto france {tours} were battles out of anybody's hands which were being faught and fuelled for money and war booty.....they were not war in the name of protecting religion......

The whole world is like Hazrat Umar but no one is like his sister and brother in law.

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